


Void of Oblivion (Prompt post 10. Unconscious)

by Vegetacide



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Whumptober
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-11-23 04:40:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20886272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vegetacide/pseuds/Vegetacide
Summary: One too many rescues and not enough down time leads to one of the team going down hard.  Part of Whumptober 2019





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Veg-notables: I’m doing this out of order and I don’t know how much I am going to be able to produce for this but I am going to give it a go.. Thanks to @gumnut-logic for all her help. She beta read this for me and enlightened me about my subject matter. You rock! 
> 
> For the full list of Whumptober prompts please see bottom of post. 
> 
> Blanket warning: Just a heads up for migraine sufferers this post deals with them. 
> 
> Characters: K/V, Scott
> 
> Whumptober - TaG universe

The silence in the cockpit of Two was a drastic contrast to the days events. It was almost numbing in its entirety and the muteness in comparison to the past forty-eight hours sent a shiver of discomfort down Virgil’s spine. 

As the adrenaline ebbed and drained away a twitchy feeling settled over his tired frame. He scrubbed angrily at his face and roughly sank his hands into his jet black hair, leaving it in complete disarray. 

Slumping back in his seat, tired brown eyes glanced over the displays and absently took note of the post flight checks. Just a few more minutes and the data would be uploaded to the island servers leaving him free to debrief, shower and hopefully fall into the much needed oblivion of sleep that his body seriously craved.

Watching the information continue to scroll across the screen as the program verified each of Two’s systems, Virgil felt an even deeper lethargy settle over him and he allowed his head to fall back on the padded rest. 

Call outs had been on an uptick lately and Virgil was having a hard time remembering when he’d last managed to a solid eight hours of rack time or even when he’d had a full meal. Trying to recollect the last thing he’d consumed; other than coffee and stim’ tabs, had a sudden stab of pain flare in his temple.

Clenching his lids tight against the agony as the overhead control panel blurred out, he flung his arm across his face and buried his head in the crook of his elbow. Effectively blocking out and hiding from the glare of the panels around him that seemed to be lighting the place up brighter than the sun.

Taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it out his nose, he waited for the discomfort that had started to throb through his head to subside to a manageable level. In. Out. In. Out, repeat. The pain didn’t abate in the slightest but grew in intensity.

Rubbing at the growing ache, he hissed out a curse as his comms pinged with an incoming transmission. Forcing his posture upright, he plastered an acceptable expression on his face and flicked the line open, praying that it wasn’t another mission. 

“Hey Scott, what up?” 

The holo of his eldest brother floating blue and transparent above the control console frowned at him. “You coming up?” Virgil blinked a couple times as the image before him doubled and shifted back again. 

Virgil gave a nod and held back a wince as the movement of his skull drove a railroad spike through his cerebral cortex. Quickly schooling his features and hoping the eagle eyes of his brother hadn’t noticed, he flicked a few random switches. “Ya, just finishing up the post flight. Had an odd reading from the aft thruster and had to run additional diagnostics. Be up in five.” 

“Okay,” His brother replied back but didn’t sign off. He hung there, arms crossed a moment and the intake a breath told Virgil that the commander of iR was suspicious. “V, you okay?” 

Virgil cursed to himself as an aura flared in the corner of his eye, “Ya, I’m good. Long day” He added a casual shrug before continuing. “Almost done, meet you in the lounge in a few.” He forced a smile he hoped would reassure his brother that he was just busy and closed the line down. 

As the muted light of the holo dissipated Virgil all but folded in half, head dropping into his hands with a groan. Biting back the nausea that started rolling his stomach and swallowing as his mouth started to salivate, Virgil fought his gag reflex and gruffly ordered the sun shade down over the view screen, plunging the cabin into darkness. “Fuck..” He moaned out, pressing his fingers into his eyes as the world went sideways. 

8-8-8

Scott sat back in his father’s desk chair and frowned as he watched the time tick by on the open data screen that was scrolling stock market details in front of him. Something felt off, he knew his brothers were tired and worn from yet another rescue. They’d been busier than normal lately and it was started to wear but his big brother senses were tingling.

Fingers steepled, his frown grew as another minute past and still there was no sign of his Second. Sitting up, he flicked the statistical data away and brought up an overhead blueprint image of the island. With another quick flick, coloured numbers appeared and overlaid the island villa floor plan. 

A couple of the numbers were moving about the island, going about their business of relaxing and enjoying the down time. Alan; Scott could hear from where he was sitting, was down in the kitchen searching for something edible and singing horribly off key. The red number three on the screen blipped merrily on the map before him in correlation.

The next closest numbers were his own and the submarine yellow four that indicated Gordon in the pool but the verdant number two was what drew Scott’s eye. It blipped slowly and unmoving in the bowels of their island home, right where his brother’s ‘bird was berthed. 

Narrowing his eyes, Scott took only a moment of contemplation before double tapping the motionless number. The screen shifted, flipping the island to a side view and zoomed in on the hanger. The side profiles shrank as the screen split and tabled, moving to the top, left corner. Mission data along with Thunderbird Two’s status flashed below, all scans showing green. The opposite half of the screen filling with the audio channel info and flight suit bio readings. 

On a whim, Scott blew the bio readings up for closer inspection and drew in a concerned breath. The numbers were way off base line. O2 levels were crap, pulse was quick and thready and body temp readings wonky. “Shit…" 

"What’s up?” Came the lilting voice of their security expert from the base of the landing stairs, her eyes zeroing in on the screen as she stalked across the room. 

Scott spared her only a brief glance as he flicked back over to the house schematics and punched in a series of commands. Instantly the storm shutters started trundling down over the villa windows and the over head lighting reduced. 

There was a yelp from Alan downstairs followed by something shattering, Scott ignored it as he turned his attention back to Kayo. “Down in Two.” It was all that needed to be said.

“Another one?” She asked even though Scott knew she really didn’t need the answer. 

“Looks like it.” 

She mirrored his earlier expletive. 

8-8-8

They found Virgil in a shivering heap on Two’s flight deck fading in and out of consciousness and Kayo held back her panic as she sank down on her haunches beside him. 

Gently brushing his hair back from his forehead, she sighed at the sight. His skin was sallow and damp with perspiration and he quaked as his body temp kicked up a notch. “You idiot, what have you done to yourself?” She questioned softly as Scott settled down at her elbow and passed a med-scanner over his sibling. 

“This is a bad one.” He whispered as he finished and pressed an IV kit into her hands. He pushed to his feet and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “I’m gonna go grab a stretcher. We gotta get him up to his room and it doesn’t look like he’s gonna move otherwise.”

Kayo nodded in reply and Scott disappeared through the access hatch. 

Sighing as she looked at the pained expression on Virgil’s face she set to work unbuckling his baldric, relieving him of the top half of his flight suit and went in search of a viable vein. 

Swabbing the inside of his forearm clean she tried not to let how unresponsive he was to her prodding bother her but she was having a hard time of it. She knew the corded muscle under her hand intimately and seeing it so slack was more disturbing than she cared to admit. 

She gave her head a shake and shut the thought process down, now was not the time and cursed as she failed yet again to breach a vein. Damn it, his veins were a mess and she was having a hell of a time trying to find one that wouldn’t collapse as soon as she touched it. 

Squaring her shoulders, Kayo tried again with a smaller gauge and the sting of the needle fishing around roused Virgil from the darkness. His foggy eyes flickered open. Unseeing and blood shot they scanned around blindly. “..Tin..?” His voice was rough and barely audible through the clattering of his teeth.

Kayo shushed him softly and combed a hand gently through his sweat soaked hair. “It’s okay, I got you.” She whispered, bending down to skim a kiss over his brow before returning her attention to his shot circulatory system. 

“..S..s’rry..” He groaned out as a wave of pain pulsed through him. 

She couldn’t help the confused chuckle and a soft, worried smile tilted her lips. “What for?” She questioned nearly pumping her fist when she finally hit pay dirt. Catheter in place, she grabbed a line and with little fuss set up a saline drip to replenish his depleted system. 

“Worrying..you. Can see…see it in your..”He stopped abruptly, the colour bleeding out of his face as he took on a decidedly green cast. ..”oh god…” 

Kayo swore and steady him as he lurched to one side and proceeded to lose the contents of his stomach all over the decking. Grabbing an emesis bowl she held it out for him before too much damage could be done. Not that Virgil had much to bring up. 

As he dry heaved, all Kayo could do was rub a gentle hand on his back in slow, steady circles and try to coach him through the retching. By the time he was done, Virgil was a weak, quivering mess and needed help to settle back down on the cool, diamond plating. 

“That sounded like fun.” Came a voice from behind her as Scott returned from the medbay and crouched down beside them, his eyes glancing over the IV bag hanging off the back of a seat, “Hey Virg, how ya doing?” 

Virgil just grunted by way of reply, not even bothering to open his eyes and rolled over onto his back, his chest heaving with the movement. 

“That good, huh?” he turned to Kayo and pulled out a vial, speaking softly “I’ve got Alan just outside to help get him upstairs but if he is at the yacking phase of the ride we gotta get this into him first or the trip is going to be rough.” 

Kayo took it from him and read the label. It was a fast acting cocktail of painkillers and anti-nauseants that she knew Virgil hated with a passion but options were limited. He was too far gone and they couldn’t very well leave him here on the deck of Two while they waited for the migraine to pass. 

Grabbing a sterile syringe she handed the lot back to Scott to deal with and lent down to Virgil’s ear. “We’re giving you the cocktail, I know you hate it but we don’t have much of a choice and you need it.” 

Virgil sank the heel of his palms into his sockets and with bared teeth clenching down as a new wave of torture attempted to make his brain explode.

With tender fingers, Kayo wiped an errant tear from his cheek and waited for his nod of approval. He was lucid at the moment and due to that they couldn’t just pump him full of drugs unless he agreed to it. 

“Virgil?” She questioned again, laying a hand on his heaving chest. “Let us help..” 

A small, brief nod from him spoke loudly of how much he was suffering. 

She looked to Scott who was already sliding the syringe into the IV injection port. His eyes meeting hers, he depressed the plunger and Virgil was lost to the black void of drug induced oblivion and she was thankful for it. 

8-8-8


	2. Shaky hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Consequences to one's actions or lack thereof

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Veg-notables: So I decided that this one needed a revisit as the aftermath of 10.Unconscious intrigued me.. I intended to take a break today.. oops.. failed. 
> 
> @gumnut-logic (on tumblr) ::sneak attack…::
> 
> Obligatory whumptober stuff: @whumptober2019 @la-vie-en-whump on tumbler
> 
> Blanket warning: Post brain explosions.. With residual ouchiness and discombobulation
> 
> Characters: Virgil/Kayo…
> 
> Whumptober - TaG’verse
> 
> 1\. Shaky hands
> 
> Enjoy…
> 
> oOo

The fight to regain consciousness was a grueling task as Virgil’s brain sluggishly began to turn over and his internal dialogue fought to crawl back to the land of coherent thought. The first snips of reality peppering in and out of cognizance were in a weird tableau of hazy screen shots that left him confused and utterly disoriented.

The first thing to really registered in the slow moving molasses of his mind was the soft pad of retreating steps. The sound stood out in sharp contrast to everything else for some reason but he just couldn’t muster the energy to figure out why. No sooner had the thought entered his mind, than it was briskly whisked away with the invasion of light flashing over his closed eyelids. 

The residual ache behind his twinging optic nerves thrummed along with his heartbeat and forced him to shut down anything too complicated to process. Which didn’t leave him with much to work with except maybe breathing. 

Uhg, what the hell? 

Shielding his eyes as the bright afterimages swirled about the inky darkness he wanted to marshal something from his flagged system to seek out and destroy the invasive luminescence. Unfortunately that would involve ambulation and that too seemed beyond his current abilities.

A twing again.. Right, stick with breathing.. 

Cautiously, he cracked open gritty eyes. Blinked repeatedly at the sting as they instantly began to water. A quick, foggy eyed glance about told him what he needed to know; location. He was in his room, though how he actually got there was a blank in his memory.

From what little he could remember, he had been on the flight deck of Two running post flight checks when the first inclination of an oncoming migraine started to present itself. After that, things grew very murky. Tiny little blips of colour and texture. A hard, cold surface, ebony richness, the scent of jasmine, a soft lilting voice, a warm breath across his skin then there was nothing. 

Reaching up a hand to rub at the tension at his brow, a tug on his arm forced him to open his eyes again. “..shit…” He softly cursed as he took note of the IV line and his eyes traced up the line to hazily take in the bag of saline hanging above the headboard. 

He’d really done it to himself this time and he was not looking forward to sorting this mess out once he was back on his feet. With the way he was feeling though that was still a while off. 

Drawing in a deep, fortifying breath, Virgil heaved his torso off the bed with herculean effort and almost immediately regretted the action when the room started to spin and distort. Maybe not one of his best ideas but considering what had transpired over the last so many hours he didn’t think he could possibly dig himself in any deeper than he already was. 

Swinging his legs off the side of the bed, he leaned forward to rest his head in his hands, elbows braced firmly on his knees. He was intent on getting his ass out of bed and across the short distance to the his ensuite bathroom but as he looked up he almost groaned at how far away the door appeared to be. The temptation to just return to the soft confines of his bed was growing proportionately to his waning strength. 

Staring at the bathroom door just five feet from him, he willed his body to heed his mental commands. Feet firmly planted and he readied muscles to bunch and push off when a hand landed on the back of his neck and a quiet voice whispered in his ear.

“And where do you think you're going?” 

Flinching as the figure behind him scared the living shit out of him, Virgil found himself thumping to the floor with a not so very manly yelp. Pressing his hand to his racing heart he cursed vehemently. 

“Well, good morning to you too.” Kayo smiled leaning over the side of the bed and looking down at him. “Don’t let Grandma hear you swear like that or she is liable to wash your mouth out with soap no matter what state your head is in.”

With the easy grace of someone who knew how to handle herself, Kayo unfurled herself from the bed and crouched down beside him. “Come on, I’ll give you a hand.” 

All he could manage was a grunt.

Kayo tutted and ducked under his arm to help him up. He sometimes forgot how strong she was and in moments like these he was grateful for the practiced ease in which she used it. 

Settling him back on the edge of the bed, she unhooked the saline bag from the quick release. her eyes concentrating on the task a little too hard for his liking.

There was a pensiveness about her that he knew well. She was brooding and trying to figure out the best way to broach a subject that she was unsure of. Not a good thing considering he had a pretty good idea what the content of her musings was. 

Reaching up he rubbed at the bridge of his nose and once again contemplated hermitting himself away for the next century. 

Her cool hands took hold of his forearm and pulled his hand away from his face. Checking over the catheter, she made sure the valve for the quick release was securely closed and the small bit of line was fastened in place with an extra strip of medical tape. 

“Bathroom.” She ordered and tugged on his arm

Back on his feet once more Kayo shuffled him off into the bathroom. She stayed a pace behind as he entered the cool confines of the tiled space and as she passed through the door, she adjusted the lights to low knowing his eyes would be sensitive to it for at least the rest of the day. 

While he took care of business, she turned the shower on and adjusted the controls. The muscles across his back tightened as the tension in the room grew with each passing second. “In you get.” She said once she was satisfied with the temperature but didn’t meet his eyes.

He obeyed with little complaint. He really didn’t have the energy to put up much of a fight and besides the idea the warm water washing away the sweat and easing his tired muscles did sound appealing. 

Looking down at himself he realized that he was still in his arming tunic from the other day and with a snarl he pulled it up and over his head. His boxer came next though the act of ditching those took some effort as he wobbled like a drunk on one leg. Kayo steadied him with a sturdy arm and he gave a nod of thanks. 

Naked and shivering as the cool air touched his sweaty skin he dragged in a breath, got a whiff of himself and instantly paled. A lovely combination of sweat and vomit mingled in his nose and he winced as his stomach gave a retaliatory squeeze. 

Biting down on the impulse to toss his cookies again; like really there was anything in there to bring up, he forced his body to move and stepped under the warm spray of the shower. 

Soap, shampoo, rinse, repeat. Stand like a statue and drown.. Was that possible while in the shower? 

The stall door opened and Virgil groggily opened his eyes. Probably not possible, he mused. Wow he really was out for lunch still. His thoughts were sluggish and random and his head felt like it was floating above his body. 

“Out you get.” Another order and she still wouldn’t meet his gaze. 

Damn it.

Stepping out she dried him off and wrapped a towel around his waist before leading him back to bed. He had to admit the shower was a good idea, it had helped a little though it had sapped what little he had left in the tank on reserve. 

A clean muscle shirt and boxers followed and she pulled back the sheets, an open invitation to get back in. 

Effort expended, he did as she silently asked and sank back into the softness of his bed. 

God, he was tired and he hated the lethargy that was going to dog him for the next few days. This episode had been a bad one. He knew he had over extended himself but what choice had he had. Lives had been at stake and if he could do something about it he was duty bound to step up to the plate, consequences be damned… or so he had thought. 

Pushing the pads his fingers into his eye sockets and he tried not to let the continued strained silence get to him. In his state, though his patience for waiting it out lasted a whole of thirty seconds. “Kay…”

“I wish you wouldn’t push yourself so hard.” She plowed right over him. Flattened him by the tone of her voice, the worried edginess to her usually pleasing lilt. 

Crap on a cracker.. Virgil pulled a heavy breath into his lungs and the exhaustion weight down on him. He was tempted to look and see who had placed the house on his back but the answer to that was obvious. Himself.

Whatever his intentions at the beginning of all of this….several days ago, he hadn’t intended on scaring her. 

He kicked himself with a groan. “Kay. Look, I’m sorry I worried you. It’s been a hard few days and I didn’t plan this…”

“That’s exactly the problem.” Her green gaze shifted and lasered in on him. “You push and push and push and completely forget that you’re human.”

She turned away from him, fusing with the saline bag as she hooked him back up again. Her handling of the IV rough and it was obvious even to his foggy brain that she was uncomfortable revealing this part of herself even to him. “Do you know what it was like to see you like that?” Her voice was a whisper but he heard it loud and clear as if she had used a bullhorn. 

With a bit more effort than he cared to admit, he grunted back to his feet and stepped towards her. Reaching out he caught her hand in his and was dumbfounded to find it shaking. 

Words caught in his throat, he pulled her to him and wrapped her in his embrace. “I’m sorry.” He whispered in his ear, his voice rough as her shoulders quaked. Shit “I’m sorry. God, I’m sorry. I’ll try harder but please don’t cry.” 

Her shoulders silently shuddered under him, the only sign that she would give of her distress and she buried her face into his neck. Her willowy arms encircling his waist and holding on tight as she tried to rein in her rampant emotions. 

Christ, he’d done it this time. She never cried. He’d really scared her this time for her have become this upset. 

He would rather deal with her ire and scathing tongue. Her anger was something he knew how to handle and something he much preferred. Tears though? From her? He was at a complete loss. 

He would do better. He had to. 

He swept a comforting hand down the length of her back and brushed a kissed across her crown. An unvoiced promise in his actions, he would do anything to make this right again. 

Energy flagging, he pulled her down to the bed with him and tucked her into his side. Comfort and sleep first then they would tackle figuring this out. He would figure this out. 

The fading ache behind his eyes gave a little thump. A friendly reminder of what happened when he neglected himself that he wasn’t soon to forget. 

After this he was sure he was going to have to contend with his big brother… Something that he didn’t look forward to considering the state that Kayo was in. 

Shit…. 

The End.


	3. 11. Stitches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Veg-notables: Annnnndddddddd… here we are again. I just can’t escape this one right it seems. It keeps demanding I give it more attention… So.. I broke the boys a bit more… 
> 
> This chapter makes reference to the Coffee series post Insomnia.  
If you would like to give the post a read, it can be found on [HERE](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20363221)
> 
> @gumnut-logic ::tosses a powdered donut at Nutty… cause she just wants to get icing sugar EVERYWHERE::
> 
> Thunderheads! Calling all ThunderHeads! You guys are awesome!
> 
> Obligatory whumptober stuff: @whumptober2019 @la-vie-en-whump
> 
> Blanket warning: Big brother be pissed…brain ouchie and other not so great things and foul language. 
> 
> Characters: Virgil/Kayo, and Scott. 
> 
> Whumptober - TaG’verse
> 
> 11\. Stitches 
> 
> Enjoy…
> 
> oOo

Scott slammed the data pad down on his Father’s desk with a bit more force than was really called for and the litany of curse words that followed tinted the air blue.

The pair sitting in the lounge playing Zombie Apocalypse instantly stilled and quieted. Their gaze flickering back and forth between where Scott was sitting and each other. 

Erring on the side of caution and a healthy instinct for self-preservation, Alan and Gordon calmly stood without a word between them and fled the room for safer environs. Being in their big brother’s sights when that foul tongue started spewing out invectives was tantamount to throwing your freedom away. The last thing either of them wanted to do was end up scrubbing carbon deposits off of the launch pads…

It had happened before and it hadn’t been a pleasant experience for either of them. 

Scott saw the not so subtle fleeing of his younger siblings and dropped his face into his palm with a groan. If they were puppies they would have have had their tails between their legs and their ears flat to their skulls in fear… 

That image stuck with him as he once again picked up the inventory report that he had requested Brains put together from Two stores and read over the data again.

He couldn’t decide who he was more pissed off with. Virgil for being an idiot or himself for not paying better attention. 

He tended to leave his next closest brother to his own devices as his own attention was usually pivoting back and forth between Alan and Gordon. Trusting Virgil’s judgement when out in the field but maybe he had put a little too much faith in it. 

The numbers he was looking at were certainly evidence of that. 

Sighing, he dragged a frustrated hand through his graying hair. The last person he expected to be adding to it was Virgil.. They were going to have to have a serious talk once the engineer emerged from his rooms. 

Looking at the time on a desktop display, he figured he had a couple hours to mentally prepare himself for that conversation. There was only a slim chance though that by then his temper would have cooled off enough for it. One thing he knew for sure…going head on with Virgil when he was this steamed didn’t usually end well for either of them. 

Maybe his younger brothers had the right idea after all. 

8-8-8

Several hours later, Virgil roused from the depths of sleep again to find himself all but wrapped around Kayo. 

Her head was tucked up tight to his chest, hands loosely clutching at the front of his shirt, her chest rising and falling evenly in a way that indicated deep sleep. Her eyes were a bit puffy and there was colour still high on her cheeks but she was sleeping peacefully. 

After her bout of; as she termed it, ‘female hysterics’ she’d settled in to his side and they’d spent a good hour talking. 

He could admit that his brain hadn’t been at its greatest and not all of the conversation had been enjoyable but by the end of it exhaustion and the satisfaction that they had taken some very healthy steps in their relationship had chased them both into sleep. 

Brushing his lips over her brow and down to the crest of her ear as she stirred against him, he whispered softly that he needed to get up and that she should get some more sleep. 

She nodded groggily, gripped his hand a moment and with bleary eyes looked up at him in question. 

“I’m okay, I just need food. I won’t be gone long, I promise.”

Satisfied with that, she snuggled into his pillow and was out again within seconds.

Carefully, he pulled his arm out from under her and swiveled around to get out of bed. He took care as he placed his feet on the floor to make sure the room wasn’t spinning topsy-turvy before he muscled his way up to full vertical. 

Unhooking himself for the IV line as he just couldn’t imagine them getting anymore saline in his body at this point he carefully slide that catheter out from his vein and bandaged it with ease. Years of medical practice coming to the fore with little effort from his sluggish brain. 

Mission accomplished, he shuffled over to his closet and dragged on a loose pair of soft cotton sweats. For some reason after a migraine the thought of anything else touching his skin grated on him so he always made sure to have some high grade cotton in his wardrobe for just these occasions. 

On bare feet, ‘cause it was just too much effort to bend again to deal with socks, he slipped quietly from the room and headed off towards the main living area and kitchen. 

The house was dark and quiet and as he made his way down the long hallway and he absently took note that someone had dropped the storm shutters in the likelihood that he would venture from the black out curtained confines of his rooms. Knowing that the bright light of the sun would most likely melt him on the spot in his post brain hemorrhage stage and he hazard a guess it was Scott’s doing. 

His big brother had always been attentive like that, it was part of his mother henning charm. A trait that was well known to all the islands occupants. 

The soft hum of the A/C and HVAC units pumped fresh filtered air into the villa and it breezed across the top of his feet as he swung into the elevator and hit up the main floor of the house. 

The stairs were just a little too much for him to handle at the moment though he would have much preferred to take them. The shift in gravity as the sleek cube of metal silently dropped down had him bracing a hand on the wall and his stomach gave a little lurch in protest. 

God, he really hated the aftermath of one of his episodes. Almost as bad as the migraines themselves… almost.

A soft ding and the elevators opened. It wasn’t until he stepped out and the doors whooshed closed behind him that he noticed he was on the wrong floor. Crap… In the post haze he’d hit the button for the comms and lounge level of their island dwelling. 

Turning he glared at the closed metallic panels behind him. It was already heading down to the sub-levels of the island. 

Not wanting to wait for the thing to return and possibly run into whoever had called it, he grumbled. He was really not in any state to interact with anyone. Too much effort was required for that. 

Eyeing the dimly lit hallway and the head of the stairs he said a soft “Fuck it.” What was one flight of stairs…he could manage it and made his way carefully down the hallway. 

At the top, he glanced down the flight to the kitchen area below. Those thirteen steps down could have been the side of a cliff for how far they seemed to drop but he was committed now and he wasn’t going to turn back around. He needed some form of sustenance to fill the hole in his gut. Something salty and not too flavourful that would get him started on a full recovery of his depleted reserves. 

Grabbing the hand rail, he took one fortifying breath and that’s when Scott came into view at the base of the stairs and Virgil stopped dead in his tracks.

Scott looked up at him with a raised brow and by the look in his eye and the hard set of his lips Virgil knew he was up shits creek without a Thunderbird in sight to save him. 

Well, he really shouldn’t be surprised, he mused. He knew this was coming. Taking his hand off the railing, he took a step back and crossed his arms over his broad chest as Scott made his way up the stairs. 

Scott passed by him in silence and heading over to their Father’s desk, a cup of coffee in one hand and a glass of water in the other and set them down. The coffee on his side beside the data pads and the other in front of the vacant chair on the other side. 

His bright blue gaze flashed up at him sternly and pointedly looked towards the chair before he folded his height in the cushioned leather of the high back that they had all coined ‘The Throne.’ 

Looks like they were doing this now… Virgil took one last look down to the kitchen, he’d lost his appetite anyways and with as much dignity as he could muster in track pants and a rumbled shirt with his hair sticking up every which way, made his way over. 

He didn’t sit though, he wanted to be on his feet for this. For some reason sitting with Scott behind that desk in what was their Father’s chair made him feel uneasy and vulnerable.

Scott said nothing, just picked up his coffee and sipped at it as he went back to looking over whatever stock options and financial data he had scrolling over the many pads in front of him.

Virgil’s shoulders tensed and he couldn’t quite hide the wince as a residual wave of vertigo made him titter a bit on his feet. 

“Sit down.” Scott said, not bothering to look up. It wasn’t the voice of his brother though, it was the commander of International Rescue front and center and he was pissed. 

No wonder there was no trace of Gordon or Alan about or even Brains for that matter. If he remembered what day of the week it was correctly, Grandma was on the mainland for her habitual backgammon game and wasn’t expected back until sometime the following day. 

Which made now the perfect time for a dress down from his commanding officer.. Cause that was who was in front of him now. Gone was the caring big brother with his easy smile and semi laid back air, in his place was the military trained officer who brokered no BS from anyone under his command. 

Virgil was a dead man..and he thought longingly of the warmth and comfort of his bed. The long, lean limbs of his lover… So should have stayed where he was for another century or two so he would have been more sound of mind to deal with this.

“I’m good standing, thanks.” His voice was rough from disuse and he clenched his teeth, the muscles along his jawline jumping under the stubbly growth that darkened his cheeks.

Scott’s eyes finally came up and there was a flash of fire in their depth. “Fine, do as you like.”

Virgil sighed and rolled his eyes. “Scott, really can we get on with this. I really just want to go back to….”

“You have any idea how worried she is about you?” Scott spoke over him. “How worried we both are?”

Virgil clamped his mouth shut, he was well aware of Kayo’s state at the moment and Scott bloody well knew it. 

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Scott’s voice grew in volume and he slammed his coffee cup down on the table, dark liquid splashing out and on to the clutter of data pads. 

“Saving lives, doing my job. What more do you want from me?” Virgil shot back, his own anger growing as Scott scowled at him. 

Scott abruptly sprang from his feet and slammed a pad down on the table by Virgil’s forgotten glass of water. 

Virgil spared it the briefest of glances, Two’s inventory catalogue. 

“I expect you to know better.” Scott was seething, his shoulders pumping up and down as he breathed in irate displeasure. 

Virgil’s eyes narrowed and his fists tightened against his biceps. “What the hell are you talking about?” 

“This,” Scott snapped again, “Or didn’t you think I’d notice the drop in the stim-tab inventory on Two?” 

Doing another once over of the info displayed on the pad, he caught sight of the discrepancy in the numbers and looked away. 

“Do you care to explain this?” The demand was loaded and Scott braced both hands on the desktop, eyes watchful and accusing. “Well…?”

Virgil worked his jaw, teeth grinding together in a way that sent a spike of pain along the side of his skull. He was not having this conversation. He was not going to sit here and be accused and questioned like a junky. What the hell did Scott expect when he’d spent the better part of the last week circumnavigating the planet at least six times and had what amount to a handful of hours actually sleeping between each call out? 

Not getting an answer, Scott sighed, “You’re grounded indefinitely, Gordon wi…

“The fuck, Scott?” Virgil’s voice boomed, the top popping off his usual calm and cool. “What the hell do you expect me to do when I spend more time in the air then on the bloody ground here at home. 

Four days ago I was air evac’ing a town in Panama, after that digging out a tribe in Peru. Two days ago it was Sherpas in Nepal.. Yesterday.., I don’t even remember where I was yesterday. Was it a forest fire in BC or a Ski Lodge in Vermont…?!? 

I was tired and in order to keep Two in the air, I used a few stim-tabs. That doesn’t make me a drug addict… what it does make me, is bloody good at my job.” 

“Are you using anything else I should know about?” Scott asked indifferently, a cold sharp edge to his voice that cut like honed steal. 

“Oh fuck off.” 

“Is that a ‘yes’ because I don’t know with you anymore. I thought I could trust you to make the right decisions but I guess I was wrong.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it.” Virgil shouted back, the chair he had been ordered to use was pushed hard against the desk with a slam. Growling he turned to leave, he knew this confrontation was going to be rough but hadn’t expected this bad.

A thread had been pulled somewhere along the line and everything was coming apart at the seams and he just couldn’t deal with this right now. 

“I didn’t say you could leave.” His brother snapped. “And you didn’t answer my question. Is there anything else? Or do I have to have Brains run a toxicology panel”

“For Chris sake, no. I’m not using anything else!” He stomped back to the desk, brow twitching with fury, fists balled tight as if ready to punch something. “Is there anything else you want from me or can I go back to bed now?”

Scott fumed, eyes dark and enraged. He seemed to rein himself in a bit because when he spoke next, he voice was quieter. “What I want is for you to know your limits and if it’s not too much to ask, for you to tell me when you’re struggling.”

He folded his tall frame back into his seat again, seemingly spent. “I expected to have to watched Alan and Gordon, but the last thing I expected is that I would have to keep an eye on you as well..” 

The words struck a chord in Virgil and the anger evaporated with the disappointed tone in his brother’s voice. He’s brain wasn’t online enough for this shit but he couldn’t get his feet to do the necessary task. Not now he finally took in how tired Scott was from where he was standing in the dimly lit room. A room that had been shielded by storm shutters out of love for a brother and a need to not cause him any more pain. 

Shit. 

Virgil caved in, slumped into the other chair and dragged a hand over his stubbled face trying to scrub the whole affair out of his frazzled brain cells. 

They sat in silence for a few moments, the anger and disappointment souring the air with a bitter taste of hurt feelings. 

“How long has this been going on?” Scott asked quietly, fingers fiddling with a stylus. He knew Scott could find out the information himself easily by going back over the inventory logs but he was waving a white flag and contrary to what he’d said, trusting Virgil to tell him the truth.

He conceded, it was easier this way and he was just too worn to put up any more of a fight. He dragged in a heavy breath. “Not often, more the last week ‘cause..” He trailed off, leaned forward bracing his elbow on his knees and eyed the floor under his bare feet, “..Ya..numerous times around the planet, way too many time zones to count.” 

Scott was silent as he took this news in, long fingers still fiddling with the slender stylus, “When?” 

He knew what he was asking and thought long and hard on how best to answer that. “Eight month ago...after Four.” 

Scott would understand what he wasn’t saying. He didn’t need to elaborate more than that. It had all started just after the Chaos Crew had taken out Thunderbird Four and Gordon right along with it. 

“When we found out about Dad,” Scott caught on fast and Virgil gave a single nod by way of confirmation. 

“I was having…difficulties…” 

Scott’s eyes widened. He remembered he’d found Virgil on several occasions working well into the night on some such project or another. Up to his elbows in grease and propulsion systems. Most of the ‘birds’ engines had been overhauled in short order and Four had been up and running faster than their initial repair reports had forecasted. 

“Why didn’t you come to me?” Scott pushed up to his feet and came around the desk, leaning back against it in front of Virgil. His arms crossed over his chest and the concern written all over his face had Virgil looking away again

Virgil just shook his head, shrugged a shoulder. “You had enough on your plate with Gordon and everything else, I didn’t want to add to it.” 

“Does Tanusha know?” 

He nodded, “She knows.” 

“Is this going to be a problem, V?” 

Virgil knew the question had to be asked, Scott needed to know if his pilot was compromised or not. If he brother needed to get help in a way that Scott couldn’t provide. 

He shook his head again. “No, I got it covered. Can I ask a question now?” 

A nod to go ahead and Scott crouched down beside him and put a hand on his bobbing knee to still it. Virgil hadn’t even realized he had been doing it. It was a nervous habit that he hadn’t employed in years. 

There was a hopeful encouragement in Scott’s voice.. “Ask away?”

His heavy brows furrowed, “How did you know?” 

Scott’s lips flashed up in a smile, the first stitch in putting things back together again. The first sign that things could be fixed. “You’re not as good at hiding things as you think you are, kid.” 

Virgil snorted at the name. 

“Your migraines.” The explanation came. “You’ve been getting them more frequently lately. Lead me to suspect there was something possibly triggering them when I saw your bio-readings yesterday so I went digging..”

“And in the process checked the inventory logs”

“Nail on the head.” Scott said giving his knee a squeeze. “Yesterday’s little escapade through la-la-land also brought something else to light..”

“Ya? What’s that?”

“That I need to make sure you're fed and watered more regularly. Any more dehydrated and we could have classified you as a raisin.” Scott straightened. “You always make sure we’re all well rested and fueled but for some reason you neglect yourself. That’s an oversight I intend to rectify.” 

His brother’s hand reached out to him in invitation, firm and steady. “Let’s get you something to eat before the Terrible Two sneak in and raid the kitchen dry.” 

Virgil took hold of it and was hoisted back to his feet again. 

Scott stepped past to lead the way to the kitchen but Virgil’s hand on his sleeve brought him up short. 

“Ya?” He asked. 

“Don’t tell the guys about this..its my ..I have to deal with it.”

Scott slung an arm over his shoulder and brought him in for the hug he needed. “Just between you and me. No one else will know but you have to promise me.. if you need help, come talk to me. Or if not me someone else, okay?” 

Virgil clasped on, nodded his head in agreement and couldn’t stop the shuddered from rolling through him as his emotions got away from him. He really was completely drained 

“Scott…” His voice caught in his throat and he couldn’t finish.

“I know, little brother. I’ve got you.” 

oOo


	4. "Don't move."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Veg-notables: @gumnut-logic Thanks for the assist. As always you are awesome :)
> 
> Obligatory whumptober stuff from .tumblr: @whumptober2019 @la-vie-en-whump
> 
> Blanket warning: Emotional whumping with a side of Grandma…. 
> 
> Characters: Virgil, Grandma with a glimpse of Squidy and Kayo.
> 
> Whumptober - TaG’verse
> 
> 12\. “Don’t move.” 
> 
> Enjoy…
> 
> oOo

“Don’t move.” A mature voice that was stern but full of matriarchal love said at his back.

Being stationary didn’t seem to be Virgil’s issue at the moment but he wasn’t going to point out that correction. His issue was that he just couldn’t move in all sense of the word. Physically and emotionally he was stuck. 

Strong, weathered hands came down on his shoulders and expertly started to knead the tight, knotted muscles. “Wow, Kiddo. Any tighter and we could use you as a launch pad.” 

Virgil let he head sag on his neck as the surprisingly strong fingers of his Grandmother dug into the concrete that was currently calling itself his back. Arms draped over the railing he kept one eye to the technicolour display working its magic across the sky and the other down on the pool deck below.

“Well with the way I feel at the moment, being the launch pad for Two would be preferable.” 

His Grandmother tutted at the remark and drew a hand down the leading edge of his spine that eliciting a low moan out of him that he would rather not have his Granny hear. 

“You had another migraine.” Not a question and he didn’t need to confirm it. His haggard appearance, five o’clock shadow and stiff posture was evidence enough to support her comment. 

A soft puff of air ruffled up over the nap of his neck in a sigh. Part frustrations and part worry. “I’m fine, Grandma. Give me another twenty-four hours and I will be back to firing all boosters. “

“I’m sure you will be.” She remarked and her hands dropped away. 

She stepped up the railing beside him, her keen eyes looking over the tableau below. 

Kayo was stretching out in an intricate series of movements that though in slow motion at present, they all knew could be used to maximum, deadly force with barely an uptick in her heart rate. 

It was her little end of the day ritual and one that she preferred to do in private. Virgil just had the added insight at the moment that she required a little extra space to recenter herself after the events of earlier so he obliged her need from a comfortable distance.

Not far from her, the steady sound of Gordon going through his paces in the pool resounded off the villa walls. Virgil had lost track of how many laps his younger sibling had completed thus far but by the speed in which he was accomplishing them, the prankster was trying to work some sort of problem out as well and wasn’t any closer to his own solutions. 

If Virgil didn’t have so much on his own plate, he would have probed the younger man but not today. His plate was already overflowing and added to it would just break the crockery beyond repair and he feared what would happen to those left in the blast radius. 

“You’re brooding.” She noted, her knowing eyes once more turning their steely gaze back on him. 

He gave a nonchalant shrug not wanted to put to voice the conflict being waged in his head. The one where he either broke a promise to a sibling and caused irreparable harm to a relationship or he potentially lost another to some nefarious act of violence. Either way, he was screwed. 

Damned if he did and damned if he didn’t. 

His Grandmother sighed again and gave his hand a supporting squeeze. “Honey,” Her tone had that inquisitive quality to it, “do you want to talk about it?” 

Virgil frowned and he gave his head a shake. “Not particularly.” Considering he was contemplating betraying his best friend’s probationary trust in him, it wasn’t something he wanted to advertise to her of all people.

His elder turned to him, cupped a hand to his cheek to bring his troubled gaze to hers. A comforting thumb brushed the stubble in the hollow found there and he knew that she could see everything. Right through him to the crux of the issue.

“Honey,” She started, looking into his tired face, “I know you tend to play things close to the chest but you know with us..with me.. It’s not necessary. I’ve helped raise all of you and nothing you say or do is going to change the fact that you're one of my first Grandbabies and I will always love you no matter what.” 

A smile touched the corner of his lips and he turned to kiss her palm. “I know, Grandma.. I just… “ He stalled out.

“You’re taking on way too much.”

His warm, brown eyes turned away.

“Virgil, look at me.” She insisted and waited patiently for him to do just that. Once he acquiesced she continued. “I’m not going to act like I haven’t noticed what you’ve been doing.”

Shock had him stiffening. “…Grandma..”

“Hush now.” She commanded and he did. “I may be old but I see more than you think I do. You’ve been burning the oil at both ends and there is no use denying it.”

He had nothing to say to contest the observation and he just looked back to the pool deck. 

It was true, he had been but he had his reasons. His eyes shifted to the form sliding through the water with the ease of a fish and guilt sprung up in his chest again. If he could keep one of his own from getting hurt again he would do anything in his power to do just that. No matter the cost to himself. 

Grandma put a knowing hand on his shoulder. “Ever since he was declared fit to return to duty you’ve been doing everything you can to keep him from it. Why Scott hasn’t picked up on this is another matter altogether but the fact remains… you can’t do it all by yourself Virgil.” 

“I don’t want to see you run yourself into the ground and frankly I’ve sat back too long and watched you do just that.”

“Virgil,” She took hold of his shoulders and turned him towards her. “I almost lost one of my babies, and I sure as Hell am not going to lose another if there is something I can do about it” 

She leaned up and placed a motherly kiss on his downcast forehead. “Whatever else is going on, I trust you to make the right decision as hard as you might find it to do so. “ She tipped up his chin, brushed an exhausted, stray tear away that had brimmed over his usually calm and controlled manner. 

“Thanks, Grandma.” His voice was hoarse and it was unusual for him to feel so vulnerable. So bare and raw with his emotions completely out of check. 

Her arms wrapped around him and pulled him into a hug. “You’re beyond exhausted right now, Sweety and I'm sure that whatever all this is, it will work itself out. I'm always here for you if you need to bend an ear, I hope you know that.

He nodded against her smaller frame and replied softly in her ear. “I know Grandma, I just need some time…”

A squeeze and she stepped back. “Okay, I won’t push. I promise though it will get better, look better once you’ve had a good rest and a few thousand calories in your belly. After that, when you ready and you can think clearly again, come find me. We’ll talk.” 

She paused, looked down at her other babies a level down. A small smile played on her pale lips, “Or if you won’t talk to me, talk to them.” Her head inclined to indicate the pair lost in their own little worlds not so far away. “I’m sure either one of them would welcome you coming to them.” 

She turned to head back inside and over her shoulder her loving words tried to reach into his conflict and shine a light to salvation. “You are not alone. Please, try to remember that.” 

oOo


	5. Embracing Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Veg-notables: Well it was a month in coming but I have finally drawn this whole thing to a close. It’s been quite the trip and the learning experience to boot. Somehow it all wrapped up in a nice tidy package encompassing several story lines into one world completely by accident by there you have it. Something just happen that way. 
> 
> Many thanks to all those that jumped on this month long whump ride with me and many, many thanks to @gumnut-logic for putting up with me none stop pretty much for the whole duration. Your guidance and support has been very, very much appreciated.. And the mountain loads of candied ammo that was lobbed in my direction. I think I might have a cavity now… 
> 
> Obligatory whumptober stuff: @whumptober2019 @la-vie-en-whump
> 
> Blanket warning: Revelations, hurt, comfort and a resolution of sorts. 
> 
> Characters: Virgil, Scott, with a dash of Kayo, Gordon and Alan. V/K
> 
> Whumptober - TaG’verse
> 
> 30\. Recovery & 31. Embrace
> 
> Enjoy…
> 
> oOo

The moment Virgil stepped foot into the lounge he could feel Scott’s eyes on him and he resisted the urge to roll his own. 

“I’m fine, Scott.” He said on reflex as he crossed the space on his way to the stairs. He needed coffee stat and nothing was going to distract him from his goal. 

Scott came around the desk, eyes narrowing on Virgil’s face as he headed towards him. 

Virgil was well aware of what he looked like and how he felt, thank you very much. He was fresh from a shower, clean shaven and feeling for the first time in a while, well rested. The fact he required coffee to function on any given morning was nothing new and something that decidedly didn’t warranted the frown that was brewing on his brother’s face. 

“You’re squinting.” 

Now he did roll his eyes and he didn’t care if Scott saw it or not. Turning he trotted down the stairs, Scott hot on his heels.

“Scott, I’m okay. Stop worrying.” Virgil b-lined it for the coffee pot, one thought in mind. Most obtain caffeine…

His brother’s hand landed on his shoulder, preventing him from reaching his target just feet from his destination. 

“This is really getting a bit much, Scott.” He grumbled and cursed at himself internally for not taking the elevator all the way down the kitchen. Why oh why had he thought that stopping at the lounge on the way was a good idea? Hind sight and all that jazz, was bullshit. 

“Are you sure?” His brother’s voice sounded worried. 

“Yes, it’s just the usual aftermath. Nothing new there, I am always a bit light sensitive for a few days after a migraine, you know this.” Virgil slipped out from under his brother’s grasp, stepped past him and snagged his favourite mug out of the cupboard. 

“Any double vision? Blurriness?” Came the expected rapid fire questions as he stalked after him to the coffee pot. 

Virgil sighed, didn’t answer right away and concentrated on pouring the aromatic brew. Let his brother stew for a moment. Served him right for the mother hen and interrogation routine. 

After their lovely discussion the previous morning, Virgil had retreated to his room again, only venturing out around sunset in order to obtain some much needed sustenance and to watch Kayo do her ninja thing on the pool deck. 

Thankfully he’d managed to avoid Scott as he had been called away from the island and he’d only had to deal with his very perceptive Grandmother. 

That had been an interesting exchange and not one he wished to repeat any time soon. He needed time to wrap his head around things, sort out his emotions and if that meant doing everything in his power to be on the opposite side of the island from everyone else.. So be it. 

Except, there was his very real need for coffee and due to that vice he had risked the trip down from his room. It was apparently evident that Lady Luck was so not in his corner this fine morning.

Satisfied that his cup had reached its maximum capacity, he lifted it to his lips and took his first sip of the day. 

Scolding, hot and deliciously rich, the flavour flowed over his taste buds and sung the song of the caffeine addicted. A thrum of ecstasy fired up his neurons and the pleasure centre of his brain lit up like a Christmas tree. Oh sweet Baby Jeebus, he bit back on the joyful moan as his need was finally sated. 

Then his brother’s tapping foot finally registered. 

Drawing in a breathe to anchor his growing antipathy, he finally graced his overly anxious sibling with an answer. “No double vision or blurriness. Like I said, I’m fine. Let it go, Scott.” 

His brother’s arms crossed over his chest, eyes still inspecting. Searching for any sign of deceit in his answer. 

The trust they shared had been rocked and Virgil was well aware that this was the price of his actions. Something he was going to have to learn to deal with but right now… there was coffee..

Sipping away quietly for a few minutes, he let his brother continue staring at him, assessing the minutia of his movements and facial expression with a bored air of one well used to an over protective big brother filling in the very large shoes of their Father. 

His patience lasted a lot longer than he thought it would.

“You look tired still, you get enough sleep? “ 

That did it, patience quota reached. Completely maxed out. 

“Jesus… Scott. Stop it. I’m fine.” Putting his mug down with a little more force than he intended he marked off points on his fingers. “I have slept, done pretty much nothing but since I crashed out in Two. I have eaten enough food to satiate a small army. I am more hydrated than even the Fish right now and that is saying something considering he basically lives in the pool. There is no pain and my vision is fine. “

His brother looked like he was about to say something but Virgil put up a hand to stop him. 

“No.” He sighed, hands on his hips as his head dropped down. Closing his eyes, he counted to ten to reign in his ire. 

“Look, Scott…” He started, stalled out. Gave his doubt the middle finger and plowed on. “Globalmax was over a year ago and you can stop hovering now, I’m not going to break. Sure I get the odd migraine but that’s it. Pack it in, let it go

Scott’s face shifted, darkened. Eyes narrowed, he poked a finger into Virgil’s face. “That’s rich coming from you.”

“What…?” Confused all to hell at the change in his brother, Virgil’s brow furrowed. 

“Kind of the pot calling the kettle black isn’t it?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” 

“Bullshit,” Scott’s temper flared and it had Virgil adjusting his stance to square off against the gale force that had surged into the kitchen. “You telling me to let it go when you can’t do the same. You act like I haven’t clued into what you’ve been doing the last few weeks ever since I put Gordon back on active duty.”

Virgil’s face blanched, his defenses suddenly evaporating in the face of Scott’s accusation and he stood dumbfounded.

“I…”

“You what?” Scott stepped up to him, all righteous anger and indignation but Virgil didn’t know how to respond. Caught off guard by his brother’s fury and being found out so easily, words completely abandoned him. 

Scott seemed to catch himself and forced himself to step off, to back up. Temper radiated out of him in waves but he clamped his control down hard on it and closed off as he reeled himself in. 

“Ya, just like I thought. You can preach to me about letting things go but I sent you in to that plant. I was the one that put you in harm’s way and we came damn close to losing you. Almost did had it not been for a fleet of stubborn ass doctors set on keeping your heart going.”

His voice hitched at the end and he had to put some physical distance between them, long legs taking him across the kitchen around the table and back again. 

He paced a few more steps and stopped, the counter between them. “Just like you did sending Gordon in after Braman at the Calypso crash site. 

The words hung like a stinking carcass in the air and Virgil’s chest heaved, breathing in the hot, foul stench of it. 

Pulse kicking he tried to come up with excuses, tried to think around what Scott had tossed so callously in front of him but he couldn’t see a way around it. There was no avoiding it when it was strung up with flashing lights right in front of your face like some damn garish marquee sign at a theatre. 

“You..you don’t understand.”

“Try it, make me understand.” Scott’s voice grew soft though his posture still screamed unrestrained agitation. 

Virgil drew in a breath, thought a moment, blew back out again as his mind tossed out and rejected several responses. Finally he settled on one. “He’s my co-pilot.” As if that should be answer enough. 

Like those three words could explain the whole of it. That Gordon was more than a passenger along for a ride in Two. He was his partner on missions, his back up when he was unable to take the controls himself, his goofy baby brother, his responsibility… 

Virgil had been well aware of the dangers out here, all those feet below the ocean surface under all that atmospheric pressure of millions and millions of gallons of water but he’d still let him go. Even with the nagging feeling in the back of his head that something didn’t feel right but they were International Rescue so they did what their Father’s legacy dictated. 

Even if just for a machine, an automaton that had been broadcasting on all their frequencies for hours on end. He let his baby brother go, and he’d nearly ended up dead. 

Left to die at the bottom of the ocean, crushed beneath a mountain of a crumbled volcanic stack like his life meant nothing. Like he was just an irritant that needed to be swatted away and was done so carelessly and with such disregard for everything their family stood for. Everything they had spent the better part of their adult lives striving to achieve. 

Hovering above the ocean waiting for some news, seeing the broken body sprawled unmoving across a med-bay gurney had torn a hole through Virgil that he hadn’t been able to fill in all the time since. An aching pit of guilt and despair that he had thought he could handle, hide away in some dark corner of his mind.

It had only grown and festered, like an untreated wound. Kept him up at night with visions of alternate outcomes. Of vaguely remember funerals, caskets draped in white flowers and the somber words. 

Kayo had clicked into the fact that something was wrong months ago, maybe Scott had too. The concerned etched on his face now mirrored her own every time he looked at her but he hadn’t been able to bring himself to burden them with this. So to throw Kayo off the trail he’d tossed something else at her feet. Hoping that it would be enough to waylay her.

The message from Bramen about their Father being alive. He hadn’t lied to her about his feelings but he hadn’t supplied her with the whole of it. The omission hadn’t been easy and the guilt of that had compounded all the rest, but he had stood firm in visage even though he was crumbling just like that stack on the inside. 

As for Scott, he’d just closed himself off. Withdrawn and buried himself in work and good intentions 

The stim-tabs had come in handy and as he looked down at his trembling hand he knew, he’d gone way too far with it. All Scott had to do was look back through all of Two’s records to see how far he’d fallen. 

Scott had a right to be concerned and Kayo had a right to her tears. 

Clenching his fist, he forced himself to answer no matter how painful it was. “He should never have been down there on his own. I should have gone with him.” 

“So you could do what exactly?” Scott moved, settled on a stool at the counter, in for the long haul if that was what it was going to take. “Gordon knows what he’s doing better than any of us. He was WASP. He has more qualification for underwater rescue than all of us combined. He is always aware of the dangers every time he heads out there but he accepts it.

Scoot looked to the counter, his fingers playing through the cooling puddle of coffee left there by Virgil’s careless handling. “You can’t stop him from going out there, Virg… “ His words stopped short as the sounds of voices and stomping feet came thundering down the stairs.

Inane chatter about some video game or another bounced around the lofty ceiling and abruptly came to a halt when the aquanaut in question came up short at the end of the flight, Alan nearly running into the back of him.

“The fuck, Gordon? Why’d you sto….?” Alan’s inquiry drifted off as he took in the open air kitchen and instantly picked up on the heaviness that clogged the space.

“What’s up?” Gordon asked as two pair of serious eyes turned his way. One carrying more worry and guilt then it appeared Gordon cared for and the other, frustration at whatever was going on being interrupted. His own gaze darted back and forth between his older siblings with some trepidation. “Who died?” 

Virgil turned away, walked over to the large, open patio and leaned his bulk against the thick clear blast door where it nested by its stationary counterpart. 

Scott sighed, and Virgil pictured him standing with his hands braced on his hips and his head shaking back and forth is annoyance. "Gordon..”

“What?" He asked completely oblivious to what his words had invoked. 

Virgil listened to the exchange behind him with only half an ear and watched the play of light across the rippling water of the pool. 

Gordon’s oblivious question had been more poignant they he knew his brother had meant. It had struck the chord of the conversation and the image of his still, unresponsive body in Two echoed through his mind with a clarity that made Virgil shudder. 

It was early in the day still so the oppressive heat this time of year usually drummed up hadn’t yet settled over the island yet. 

There was a breeze whispering through the fronds of the palms and rustling the long strands of ornamental grasses that boarded the patio in quaint little arrangements that Virgil knew his Father had installed as homage to the woman who so loved to garden when they were little. 

The cadence of the conversation behind changed and his pushed his focus back inside to the room as Gordon’s voice rose. 

"Oh well...it looks like the adults are talking so we better run off and play like good little boys." 

"Gordon,. That’s not what I meant.”. 

“Than what did you mean?” He demanded facing off with Scott, glare for glare. 

When Scott failed to answer, the currently land bound human-fish bristled and turned his sights on Virgil. 

Virgil’s mouth gaped a moment as he floundered but he didn’t get a chance to respond as Kayo appeared at his elbow, her hand resting a moment on the base of his spine in a gesture of support before she slipped around him and over to Gordon. 

Her voice was pitched in such a way that they could all hear her words. “I just got word that Lady P is inbound. Should be here soon.”

Gordon’s attention was instantaneously redirected. “Penny’s coming here?”

Kay nodded, “About ten minutes out. Said something about a reef project she is working on.”

“Ya, she mentioned that to me last week. I didn’t think they would move so fast on it..” 

The distraction work and in short order Gordon was back up the stairs and out of the room. 

Alan remained behind, gaze ping ponging between all those gathered in the familiar space. A little lost as to what to do and where to go now that Gordon was off chasing after her Ladyship. “Sooooooo…?” He ventured. 

Kayo took pity on him, grabbed a bag of oatmeal cookies from the pantry and gave the pair of them a look, her eyes lingering on Virgil as she turned and walked back over to Alan. “Hey, why don’t you show me that new Zombie game you’ve been going on about?”

Alan blinked, shifted awkwardly on his feet as he absorbed the rising tension in the room again and was unsure what to do about it. It was obvious from his pinched expression that he was well aware that things were far from alright between his two biggest brothers. 

“Everything okay?” He asked instead as Kayo came up to him. 

She glanced back at Virgil as if she was interested in the answer to the question as well. 

Virgil’s large chest expanded on an inhalation before he took the reins. “It’s cool, Alan. Don’t worry about it.” 

Alan didn’t look convinced and neither did Kayo but she nodded in return. 

There would be words later, Virgil knew but for now she would back off and leave them to sort themselves out. 

“If you say so…” And the pair of them disappeared up the stairs. 

The kitchen grew quiet with their absence, the only sound that of the wind through the palms and a few wild birds that called the island home. 

“Listen,” Scott was the first to break the stillness and Virgil peered back over his shoulder so Scott knew he was doing just that. “All I am saying is that I understand where you are coming from. I’ve been there. Am there, every day. Every time a call comes in and I have to send one of you out there to do the impossible because it seems like no one else can, I’m right there where you are now. I have to live with that. Remind myself that not only did I pick this life but you all did too. You know the risks, just trust that they know the risks too and remember that you are not alone. 

He came up to Virgil bumped his shoulder against his companionably. “And if things ever get too hard, too much there are those on this island that are more than willing to help and if not here,” His head inclined towards the ocean, towards the world at large, “There are plenty of people out there that owe us a few things and would jump at the chance to return the favour.“

Virgil absorbed what was being offered and finally for the first time in days, months really the weight on his shoulders lifted. 

He chuckled slightly as a thought came to mind and just like that the tension was gone, the animosity and outrage and all the negative crap that went along with it up and left.

“What?” Scott asked a quizzical look popping his brow up in confusion,

“How in the hell do you put up with all of this? All of us?” 

Scott grinned back, the devil in his smile. “Dad’s private stash of Scotch… lots of Scotch.”

The sun was shifting outside as it made its way across the sky and a spear of light bounced off the pool which made Virgil blink, the fact that nothing speared into his brain with the flash of light didn’t go unnoticed by him. Time took care of all things and it seemed the worst of everything had come to pass. 

The band-aid holding everything back had been torn off, the wound free to breathe and hopefully to heal now that all those party to it existence had lanced it of the festering poison that was rotting away at its core. 

The disinfectant that family supplied, was to be applied liberally and eventually all that would be left was a fading scar and life would go on.

His smile widened and grew broader as the future finally started to look brighter and he slung an arm over Scott’s shoulder, pulling him in for an unexpected hug which his brother reciprocated wholeheartedly. 

“It might be early but somewhere in the world it’s not. Let’s go find that scotch.” 

oOo

The End.


End file.
